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As has been stated they have had a prelimary meeting to set a points limit so promoters can start building their teams ,,At that stage they dont know precicely how many teams will be in the league which would appear to be the main reason for the delay in the A.G.M. date and that is a problem with this league in particular..Which as you say does not help the riders...

I believe Richie really likes being at Rye.. and is a really nice guy ,,..Nerves is something many sportsmen suffer from ...I think Lee Strudwick has a simular problem in his first ride, then settles down as the meeting progresses,this is something they have to sort out themselves,, you will find many more examples of this if you look for it,,watching these riders reguarly you build up a pattern,,Richies bikes seemed faster in the last few meetings also.,so if his engine is better ,so will his confidence improve ,so lets hope he can build on that this season. Im not saying hes a Jason Doyle, But i think we will see a better rider this year.....These observations are only my personal opinion The riders themselves and others, may not agree..

Has anyone attended the training schools to run an eye over the proposed trainees that will supposedly be lining up as the reserves in the Raiders team,,, if so in your opinion are they on the pace for this considerable step up ,as some of the other teams have far more experienced riders in these positions....Len has put together 5 riders all with potential heat leader qualities,,Mason,,Morley,, Strudwick,,Hazelden and Sargeant,, it would be a shame if the reserves are not on the pace...... this would not be good for those riders who actually want to be successfull and win something,,The fans too need this season to have a team with exciting possibilitys to maintain their interest,,which is vital in my opinion....To attendences.......

I have always agreed with Malcolms thoughts on this subject,,however there does not seem to be the will to support these proposals by those with the ability ,,financially and otherwise to carry it through,,Real shame really...

I dont think Hawkins is a bad rider, but he takes a long time to get going in a meeting.,is nearly always last away from the start in his first ride ,this could be nerves,,,if he could start with more confidence there would be a marked improvement in his scores in my opinion...

Yes Rockets ,, Len seems to have a love affair with his journey men Richie and Luke .He is totally banking on the wild riders Nelson,Bunyan and Garrity to produce big scores...Bunyan and Garrity riding together may well be an excitment that wont last to long if they tangle.....?

Oh if only we had kept Doyle he could still be here now and we would have 3 decent heat leaders..

Len has built this team with no recognised 3rd heat leader and is obviously banking on Nelson to fill the role the unusual tactic of building a team from the bottom up and not using all the points availible could back fire spectactually, especially if any key riders get injured..

Sorry Gary if i have been misimformed,,I did however state that there has been no official announcement of any confirmed signing...I have no doubt a rider of Shanes ability will be fixed up shortly..

That is a real shame as they seemed so positive at the end of last year....I believe Shane and Marc are both fixed up for next season though i cant say where,, as no official announcements have been made yet.....Start guessing ?

Im on the middle ground on this one..Obviously it is good to bring on as many youngsters as possible,,but they need to be at a stage where they are on the pace before being given a team place ,,because as Shadders and others have said they want to see competative racing,and no fans means no speedway..I stand by my view that if all teams used one such rider it would work ok.. But if some teams have two and others none you have a total imbalance that will produce poor racing that fans wont stand for and will not attend such meetings...

Dont get me wrong i dont know anything definate ,,its just that i noticed several clubs saying they were going with 2 rookies at reserve, and assumed this may have been discussed by promoters...

Rockets i will not be going until training resumes in the new year when Ben is having a run out..I have however noticed that some other teams are also going with 2 rookies at reserve so perhaps there has been a promoters agreement on this ,if so excellent,,but will they all fall in line ?? Rockets your reply is now in front of my post as i had to delete the original as it came up twice after not coming up at all the first time i tried it,,sorry about that..

I hope your right Montie and we have a Birks or Worrell amongst the rookies They were however seasoned motorcross boys before they started speedway.I havent seen ours yet but i will go and take a look at them,,untill then ill reserve judgement..The thing is the other lads in the team want to win things and starting the season nowing they probably wont does not help from their point of view ,Then there is the fans will the support drop further if the team is not winning??

I think you might be wrong about Lee,,He took year out dont mean hes retired yet..??

James Sarjeant blows a bit hot and cold, but has ability as he showed when reaching the final of the under 19s at Rye..He can ride the quick wide line at Rye as well and has room for further improvement..Ben will be looking to make the No1 jacket his own as soon as possible. and be pushing for a place in the Premier League..David should consolidate last seasons form now his illness is under control..I am concerned however at 2 trainees in the reserve berths, it will make us very weak ,one would have been ok, But it has been proven over and over again you need one strong reserve at least..I also hope the admission charges encourage fans to come and not the reverse......

As far as i know he will be in the Raiders , unless theres something we dont know about?...He is determined to do so well next season where ever he rides and will be looking to make the Premier league sooner than later... And i have every confidence he will..He is a much improved rider since coming out of the Rockets line up in the summer...

With the possible drop outs from the League Newport, poss ,Scunny (HOPE NOT),..New teams will be vital,,Lakeside are looking good and If Sittingbourne is a goer that will be great for south east England with the local Derbys ..Throw in Bodmin and things are really looking positive for the future of the National League...keep us all posted with developements , Parsloes if you can...

The season has finished, how long does it take ..I have never been impressed with the administration of this League,suppose we will have to wait till next year for the A.G.M as well..Hopeless ,lets have it as soon as possible and worry about withdrawels and additions later .Where were we ,,oh yes averages,,fingers out please..

Scunny have always been considered one of the stalwarts for bringing on young british talent ,it would be agreat loss if they dont run in the National League next season.....

Well done to all who have made Stoke succesfull this season,,difficult to do after dropping down a division..

I know malcolm Vassey well ..Probably the most knowlegeble person involved with the National League.with some great ideas for improvements of the division..Im a southerner with little interest in midland clubs but i would say Malcolm has done a superb job with Stoke this season..Some on here need to put their brains in gear before making insulting comments about respected people on this site....

Have seen the line up and it hardly represents the best in that age group more like a GB third team or Dudley plus guests ,why not just call it the Midlands team..I suppose they couldnt put out a team that would slaughter the U.S.A....

I very much hope John goes ahead with a national league team, he has stated that rider developement is the main aim and results are not important..However in my experience the fans would still need to see a a team that was capable of winning most matches at home at least ,or they will lose interest.So with the inclusion of the riders already mentioned a pretty strong top end would be required..He has already two assets in Marc Owen and Shane Hazeden wether or not he uses them remains to be seen..There is also the prospect of exciting local derbys with Rye House and Mildenhall ,,and Kings Lynn is not to far away...Sittingbourne too would be a great addition, if it could happen ,,all those local derbys can only strengthen the financial situation for all the clubs involved..lets hope this could be a turning point in the area for the developement of young british riders..

I am not surprised the ref messed up it was one of the most confusing situationS ive seen in 60yrs of going to Speedway...